U.S. patent application number 13/867214 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-31 for ic card for authentication and a method for authenticating the ic card.
The applicant listed for this patent is STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L. Invention is credited to FRANCESCO VARONE.
Application Number | 20130287267 13/867214 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46262181 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130287267 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
VARONE; FRANCESCO |
October 31, 2013 |
IC CARD FOR AUTHENTICATION AND A METHOD FOR AUTHENTICATING THE IC
CARD
Abstract
An IC card includes a first visible layer including a natural
material having a unique visual pattern. A storage device is
configured to store a digital reference image of the unique visual
pattern to be visually compared with the unique visual pattern for
authentication. An authentication method based on the IC card is
also provided.
Inventors: |
VARONE; FRANCESCO; (Bellona
(CE), IT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L |
Agrate Brianza (MB) |
|
IT |
|
|
Family ID: |
46262181 |
Appl. No.: |
13/867214 |
Filed: |
April 22, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
382/115 ;
235/488 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 19/18 20130101;
G06K 19/086 20130101; G06K 9/00577 20130101; G06K 19/145
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
382/115 ;
235/488 |
International
Class: |
G06K 9/00 20060101
G06K009/00; G06K 19/18 20060101 G06K019/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 27, 2012 |
IT |
MI2012A000706 |
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. An IC card comprising: a first visible layer comprising a
natural material having a unique visual pattern; and a storage
device configured to store a reference image of the unique visual
pattern to be visually compared with the unique visual pattern for
authentication.
14. The IC card according to claim 13, wherein the natural material
comprises at least one of wood, leather and stone.
15. The IC card according to claim 13, further comprising: a second
layer on a bottom surface of said first visible layer; and a
transparent layer on a top surface of said first visible layer,
with the top surface being opposite the bottom surface, and with
said transparent layer comprising plastic to protect the top
surface of said first visible surface.
16. The IC card according to claim 15, further comprising a third
layer on a portion of said second layer or said transparent layer,
with said third layer comprising a picture of the unique visual
pattern.
17. The IC card according to claim 16, wherein said picture is a
downscaled image of at least a portion of the unique visual
pattern.
18. The IC card according to claim 16, wherein said picture
comprises a monochrome picture that includes veining of the unique
visual pattern.
19. The IC card according to claim 13, wherein said storage device
comprises at least one of an IC chip, a bar code, a 2D code, a
magnetic band and an optical band.
20. The IC card according to claim 13, wherein the stored reference
image is encrypted from an image of the unique visual pattern.
21. The IC card according to claim 13, wherein the stored reference
image is digitally signed from an image of the unique visual
pattern.
22. The IC card according to claim 13, further comprising a body,
and wherein said first visible layer and said storage device are
inlaid in said body.
23. An IC card comprising: a first visible layer comprising a
natural material having a unique visual pattern; a storage device
configured to store a reference image of the unique visual pattern
to be visually compared with the unique visual pattern for
authentication; a transparent plastic layer on a top surface of
said first visible layer; and a picture of at least a portion of
the unique visual pattern on a portion of said transparent
layer.
24. The IC card according to claim 23, wherein the natural material
comprises at least one of wood, leather and stone.
25. The IC card according to claim 23, further comprising a second
layer on a bottom surface of said first visible layer, with the top
surface being opposite the bottom surface.
26. The IC card according to claim 23, wherein said picture is a
downscaled image of at least the portion of the unique visual
pattern.
27. The IC card according to claim 23, wherein said picture
comprises a monochrome picture that includes veining of the unique
visual pattern.
28. The IC card according to claim 23, wherein said storage device
comprises at least one of an IC chip, a bar code, a 2D code, a
magnetic band and an optical band.
29. The IC card according to claim 23, wherein the stored reference
image is encrypted from an image of the unique visual pattern.
30. The IC card according to claim 23, wherein the stored reference
image is digitally signed from an image of the unique visual
pattern.
31. A method of authenticating an IC card through an authentication
apparatus, the IC card comprising a first visible layer comprising
a natural material having a unique visual pattern, and a storage
device to store a reference image of the unique visual pattern, the
method comprising: reading the stored reference image with the
authentication apparatus; scanning the unique visual pattern to
generate a scanned image; comparing the stored reference image with
the scanned image; and authenticating the IC card if the scanned
image matches the reference image.
32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising displaying
the stored reference image on a display of the authentication
apparatus for visual authentication.
33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the IC card further
comprises a second layer on a bottom surface of the first visible
layer; and a transparent layer on a top surface of the first
visible layer, with the top surface being opposite the bottom
surface, and with the transparent layer comprising plastic to
protect the top surface of the first visible surface.
34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the IC card further
comprises a third layer on a portion of the transparent layer, with
the third layer comprising a picture of the unique visual
pattern.
35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the picture is a
downscaled image of at least a portion of the unique visual
pattern.
36. The method according to claim 34, wherein the picture comprises
a monochrome picture that includes veining of the unique visual
pattern.
37. The method according to claim 31, wherein the stored reference
image is encrypted from an image of the unique visual pattern.
38. The method according to claim 31, wherein the stored reference
image is digitally signed from an image of the unique visual
pattern.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an IC card for
authentication, and to a method for authenticating the IC card.
More particularly, a natural material is associated with the IC
card for authentication.
[0002] The IC card involves a biometric feature originated by a
natural material or by an artificial element, and the following
description is made with reference to this application field for
explanation purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A natural material can be associated with an IC card for
authentication and identification. In this respect, a publication
titled "Smart Biometrics for Trust and Convenience," Eurosmart,
December 2010, discloses biometrics for authenticating and securely
identifying, while taking in consideration several aspects, such as
electronic ID, access passes, payment, and information such as
emails and database records, and important paper documents, for
example.
[0004] The above publication further mentions inanimate objects and
even artificial objects among entities in which biometrics can be
applied. Any "natural phenomenon for elements whose characteristics
are chaotic and measurable" is defined as a biometric object.
According to other sources, natural phenomena not related to a
biological material may have different designations, e.g., physical
unduplicated features (cfr. IEEE 10.1109/ICASSP.2011. 5946831).
[0005] A product, known as Prooftag.TM., uses air bubbles for
authentication. This product overcomes the drawbacks of prior art
authentication methods by using randomly generated air bubbles for
authentication, which is unique in its form factors. Prior art
authentication methods are based on mass-produced, and
consequently, mass-reproducible methods.
[0006] However, Prooftag.TM. itself has several drawbacks. During
the phase of authentication, each bubble tag is associated with a
unique identifier stored in a database of a system operator. An
Internet connection to such a database is required for any
authentication, and the authentication cannot be executed if the
connection is not available.
[0007] Another drawback of Prooftag.TM. is that it is configured to
be attached to a product or to an IC card, and the attached tag can
be detached during the delivery of the product, i.e., before the
authentication of the product. In fact, the detached tag can be
associated with another product if the consumer buying the first
product did not perform or complete the authentication process.
Moreover, a tag attached to an IC card makes the surface of the IC
card non-planar and protruding with respect to the. surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an IC card
and a method for authenticating the IC card with a remote
connection not being required for an authentication, and with a
natural material or artificial object being used to identify the IC
card where no protrusion or detachable problems arise. This allows
for a counterfeit resistant card product, and overcomes the
drawbacks that currently affect the prior art methods and IC cards
of this kind.
[0009] This and other objects, features and advantages are provided
by coupling an IC card to a sample of a biometric object or natural
material having a graphical layout or appearance that is visually
distinguishable with respect to other samples, even with respect to
a sample of the same biometric object or natural material. This is
due to the unique pattern of each sample. In this manner, the
sample of the biometric object or natural material is inlaid or
embedded within a card layer or surface and cannot be detached from
the IC card. A digital image of the sample is stored in the IC card
chip at production.
[0010] When the IC card is exhibited, the digital image may be read
or picked-up from the chip through an IC card reader and then
displayed so that the unique pattern of the digital image may be
compared to the unique pattern of the sample coupled or associated
with the IC card surface for a visual comparison and
authentication. Advantageously, the IC card cannot be duplicated
starting from another sample of the same natural material or from
samples of different materials.
[0011] The IC card may comprise at least a first visible layer
reporting or providing a natural material or a biometric element,
and a memory portion storing inside the IC card a reference image
of the first visible layer to be visually compared with the first
visible layer for authentication.
[0012] In other words, the IC card may comprise a first visible
layer including a natural material, and a memory to store a digital
reference image of the first layer. The digital reference image may
be visually compared with the first layer for authentication.
[0013] In all of the possible embodiments for a visible layer, such
a visible layer may include any surface that may be seen or
detected by a natural eye or an image detector.
[0014] The natural material of the first visible layer may be
selected from a group including wood or leather or stone or any
natural material showing or defining a pattern or vein which may be
visually compared with a pattern or vein displayed with the digital
reference image. The display may be through a reader device of the
IC card, for instance.
[0015] The term visual comparison includes an automatic comparing
system based on an image detector or an equivalent detection.
[0016] A second protective layer may be provided on a surface of
the first visible layer, for example, a plastic covering layer. A
transparent layer may be further arranged on a counter disposed
surface of the first layer for further protection. The transparent
layer may allow inspection of the natural material within the first
visible layer.
[0017] The IC card may further comprise a third layer arranged on a
portion of the second layer or transparent layer, including a
picture of the first visible layer. For example, the picture may be
a downscaled image of a partial or an entire surface of the first
visible layer, and is advantageously used for comparison with the
first visual layer and/or with the digital reference image
displayed on the IC card reader.
[0018] The picture in the third layer may be monochrome and include
veining of the first visible layer. This allows the user to focus
on some specific patterns of the natural material, corresponding to
the grayscale or monochrome, for a better comparison.
[0019] Storing of the digital reference image may be done by an IC
chip, a bar code, a 2D code, a magnetic band or an optical band.
The digital reference image may be encrypted by an IC card issuer
from the image of the first visible layer and stored in an
encrypted format. Advantageously, the encryption of the reference
image may be associated with the pattern considered as unique
identification information of the IC card, since no samples with
identical patterns are available.
[0020] The digital reference image may be digitally signed by an IC
card issuer from the image of the first visible layer, and stored
in an encrypted format in the IC card.
[0021] Another aspect is directed to a method for authenticating an
IC card through an authentication apparatus, where the IC card may
include a first visible layer comprising a natural material, and a
memory for storing a digital reference image of the first visible
layer. The method may comprise the steps of reading the digital
reference image with the authentication apparatus, scanning the
first visible layer, comparing the digital reference image with the
scanned image of the first visible layer, and authenticating the IC
card if the scanned image is substantially identical to the digital
reference image.
[0022] Again, a visible layer is intended to include any surface
that may be seen or detected by a natural eye or an image detector.
The term visual comparison is intended to include an automatic
comparing system based on an image detector or an equivalent
detection.
[0023] The digital reference image may be displayed on the display
device of the authentication apparatus for visual
authentication.
[0024] The method may comprise retrieving the reference image,
scanning the first layer into a sample image, comparing the
retrieved reference image with the sample image, and authenticating
the identity of the card if the sample image is determined to be
substantially identical to the retrieved reference image.
[0025] The method may further comprise storing the reference image
in the memory portion of the authentication apparatus after
encrypting the reference image with a first key of the card issuer.
The step of retrieving the reference image may comprise decrypting
the reference image stored with a second key, and the second key
may be associated with the first key.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] Further advantages and features of the method, the device,
and the media storage according to the present invention will be
apparent from the description given below for explanation purposes
and without limiting the scope of protection.
[0027] FIG. 1A schematically represents a top view of an IC card
for authentication according to a first embodiment of the present
invention.
[0028] FIG. 1B schematically represents a front view of the IC card
of FIG. 1A.
[0029] FIG. 2A schematically represents a top view of an IC card
for authentication according to a second embodiment of the present
invention.
[0030] FIG. 2B schematically represents a front view of the IC card
of FIG. 2A.
[0031] FIG. 3A schematically shows a top view of an IC card for
authentication according to a third embodiment of the present
invention.
[0032] FIG. 3B schematically represents a front view of the IC card
of FIG. 3A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and
constitute part of this application, illustrate different
embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description
serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
[0034] The method steps hereafter described do not form a complete
flow of the process for the manufacturing of integrated circuits.
The techniques for manufacturing the integrated circuits currently
used in the field, and commonly used process steps necessary for
understanding the integrated circuits are included in the
description.
[0035] The figures showing transversal sections of integrated
electronic device portions during the manufacturing are not drawn
to scale, but are instead drawn to show important
characteristics.
[0036] With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a schematically
represented IC card for authentication includes a natural material
or a biometric element comprising a graphical pattern which is
substantially impossible to reproduce artificially, even by use of
the same techniques that form the basic sample of the natural
material or the biometric element. In other words, the natural
material and graphical pattern may be considered as a physical
unclonable function or PUF, which is a function that is embodied in
a physical structure and is easy to evaluate but hard to
predict.
[0037] FIG. 1A is a top view of the IC card and FIG. 1B a front
view. The IC card includes one or more visible layers 100 including
the natural material, and a memory 110 for storing a digital
reference image of the layer including the natural material. The
memory 110, for instance, may be a chip, a bar code, a 2D code, a
magnetic band or an optical band. The memory 110 may be a
non-volatile memory portion or the same chip incorporated into the
IC card including an embedded non-volatile memory portion.
[0038] For a visible layer, it is intended to include any surface
that may be seen or detected by a natural eye or an image detector.
This is valid for all the embodiments disclosed herein. Without
limiting the scope of the present invention, the following
description is given with reference to an IC card with a chip for
storing the digital reference image.
[0039] The digital reference image is an image of the natural
pattern of layers 100 and is used to authenticate the IC card
through an authentication device or IC card reader, as explained
below. The digital reference image is stored in an encrypted form
in the IC card, and is read by the IC card reader and therein
decrypted. The decrypted image is displayed on the IC card reader
to be visually compared with the natural pattern on the top side
surface of the IC card.
[0040] However, one skilled in the art may imagine a comparison
based on an image detector that does not require a visible display
of the decrypted image as is necessary for humans.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 13, the layers 100 comprise at least a
first layer 140, a second layer 150 and a transparent layer 130.
The first layer 140 comprises the natural material selected from a
group including, for instance, wood, stone or leather.
[0042] Advantageously, the natural material or biometric element is
inlaid in the first layer and does not protrude from it. In other
words, the natural material or biometric element is located in at
least a card portion where no protrusion or detachable problems
arise.
[0043] The natural material constitutes the first layer. For
example, the first layer is a sheet of wood with a size
substantially corresponding to a size of an IC card 7816 compliant,
which is inlaid within further layers of the IC card. The second
layer 150 serves as a supporting layer for the first layer 140, and
the transparent layer 130 serves as a protective layer of the first
layer 140. In one embodiment, the first layer 140 is a hard
material and no transparent layer 130 is provided for
protection.
[0044] An IC card issuer takes a picture of or scans the image of
the first layer 140, and saves the scanned image in the IC chip 110
as a reference image. The image is preferably signed or encrypted
by a key before being stored in the IC Chip 110.
[0045] Both a non-symmetric encryption scheme and a symmetric
encryption scheme can be used. If a non-symmetric encryption scheme
is used, the reference image is encrypted with a private key owned
by the IC card issuer. Then, when the authentication is performed
by an authentication apparatus, the reference image may be
decrypted with a public key before comparing the digital reference
image displayed on the authentication apparatus with the image of
the first layer 140. The image of the first layer 140 is scanned by
an optical device of the authentication apparatus. The public key
is associated with the private key.
[0046] If a symmetric encryption scheme is used, the digital
reference image is encrypted with a secret key only known to the IC
card issuer and the authentication apparatus, or only known to the
IC card issuer that perform authentication remotely. Then, when the
authentication is performed by the authentication apparatus, the
digital reference image is decrypted with the same secret key
before comparing the digital reference image with the image of the
first layer 140.
[0047] Since the pattern formed in the first layer is natural or
naturally generated, it is almost impossible for a forger to
reproduce the same pattern artificially without scanning or taking
picture of the pattern of the first layer 140 and without using an
artificial material. That is, the forger cannot counterfeit the
same IC card unless he retains the same IC card. Moreover, even if
he obtains the same IC card and gets the picture of the pattern of
the first layer 140, he cannot collect information concerning the
signed digital reference image which is stored in the IC card 110.
Therefore, the security of the IC card is further enhanced by the
IC chip and the natural pattern of the first layer.
[0048] In case wood is used as the material of the first layer, the
graphical pattern may include the veining of the wood 190. In FIG.
1A, the veining is drawn as a simplified version since the veining
of wood has a more complex structure. Advantageously, using natural
material for manufacturing the IC card is more environmentally
friendly than plastic, and thereby reduces the pollution caused by
an excessive use of plastic materials.
[0049] FIG. 2A schematically shows the top view of the IC card for
authentication according to another embodiment, and FIG. 2B
schematically shows the corresponding side view. The IC card
comprises layers 200 including a visible layer including a natural
or naturally generated pattern. The IC card further comprises a
memory 210 for storing a digital reference image, for instance, an
IC chip, a bar code, a 2D code, a magnetic band, or an optical
band. The IC chip 210 stores the digital reference image
corresponding to the graphical pattern of visible layer. The
digital reference image is used to authenticate the IC card by an
authentication device. More particularly, the digital reference
image is stored in an encrypted form in the IC card and is read and
decoded by an IC card reader, to be decrypted and compared with the
image or pattern of the visible layer.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 22, the layers 200 may comprise a first
visible layer 240, a second layer 250 and a transparent layer 230.
The IC chip 210 may be inserted in the transparent layer 230 or in
another layer. The first visible layer 240 comprises, as in the
previous embodiment, a natural material such as wood, stone,
leather, etc., having a pattern which cannot be reproduced
artificially and which can advantageously be used to univocally
identify the IC card. The second layer 250 servers as a supporting
layer for the first layer 240, and is preferably made of a material
protecting the first visible layer 240 placed therein.
[0051] The transparent layer 230 serves as a protective layer of
the first visible layer 240. The IC card comprises a third layer
220 arranged on a portion of the transparent layer 230 and includes
a picture of the first layer. Particularly, the third layer 220 may
have a downscaled image of a partial or an entire surface of the
first layer 240. The ratio for the scale is predetermined and known
only to the IC card issuer and the authenticate apparatus.
[0052] In this respect, the scale ratio is used as a further
security measure, since a forger needs to discover the exact scale
ratio to counterfeit the IC card. In a similar way, coordinates of
an area of the first layer 240 in which the picture is taken are
used as further security measure. That is, the coordinate of the
area of the first layer 240 is not known to anyone except the IC
card issuer and the authenticating apparatus.
[0053] A user can easily check the IC card by comparing the pattern
of the first visual layer with the pattern of the picture of the
third layer 220. The authenticating apparatus further compares the
picture of the third layer 220 with the pattern of the first visual
layer 240.
[0054] Preferably, the IC card issuer takes a picture or a scanned
image of the first visible layer 240 and saves the image into the
IC chip 210 as a digital reference image. The image is preferably
signed or encrypted before being stored in the IC chip 210. Also in
this embodiment, both a non-symmetric encryption scheme and a
symmetric encryption scheme can be used.
[0055] Since the pattern in the first visual layer is naturally
generated or made by a biometric element, it is almost impossible
for the forger to reproduce the same pattern artificially without
scanning or taking picture of the pattern of the first layer 240,
and without using an artificial material. Thus, the forger cannot
counterfeit the same IC card unless he retains the IC card. Even if
he has the same IC card in his hands and gets the picture of the
pattern of the first layer 240, he cannot retrieve information
concerning the signed reference image stored in the IC card 210.
Therefore, the security of the IC card is further enhanced by the
IC chip and the natural pattern of the first visual layer.
[0056] Also in this embodiment, wood may be used as natural
material of the first visible layer and the veining of the wood 290
forms the unique pattern.
[0057] FIG. 3A schematically shows a top view of an IC card for
authentication according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 3B
schematically shows a corresponding front view. The card comprises
a body 300 and a first visual layer 320 including a natural
material such as wood, leather, stone, etc., which is inlaid into a
first portion of the body 300. The IC card further comprises means
or a memory for storing a digital reference image, which is
arranged in a second portion of the body 300.
[0058] According to this embodiment, the pattern of the natural
material does not cover the entire area of the IC card but only a
portion of the IC card. Scanning or taking a picture is performed
on the first layer 320. The scanned image is compared with the
digital reference image stored in the IC card 310 for the
authentication. Various schemes of encryption can be used as
explained in the previous embodiment.
[0059] Advantageously, the invention can enhance the security of an
IC card using the naturally formed pattern of the natural material,
such as wood, and storing the image of the pattern in advance as
encrypted information in the IC card. The picture of the pattern is
duplicated in a different scale and attached on a surface portion
of the IC card for visual comparison between the image of the whole
IC card and the picture attached at a portion of the IC card.
* * * * *